We’re welcomed by a warm all-beige interior: exposed light brick, cream-colored chairs paired with darker wooden tables, candles - we were about to spend two hours here without even noticing how time was passing by over great food and the comfort of this place. Along with the menu, we ordered some homemade lemonade with fresh mint, and while we were at it, we met patron Yorai Feinberg. Rarely have I met a restaurant owner that happy and satisfied. He smiled from ear to ear and had a contageously positive aura all over him.

At only 32 years old, he seems to have lived several lives. Born in Jerusalem, he went on to study classical ballet in London, where he also learnt to speak Russian because his dance teacher wouldn’t speak English. He then lived in Stuttgart, Tokio, Paris and Vienna, decided to quit dancing and has tried different professions since, until his last venture took him to Nairobi. In 2012, he returned to Berlin because he’d “had enough” of Africa.

He’s not a trained chef, and I couldn’t figure out what it was exactly that got him to get into the industry. But he did it, sat down with a group of chef friends from Israel and together, they meticulously put together a solid menu. Said menu offers Israeli dishes for the biggest part, classics such as hummus, falafel, shakshuka - a kind of hotpot of tomatoes and peppers, topped with two fried eggs - and a small selection of meat dishes.

An assortment of pastes consisting of Romanian salad, matbuha salad, baba-ganoush and tahini, were the perfect starter. Our entrée highlight were the falafel that we’ve never seen done to perfection like that: well-spiced, fresh and crisp, yet light. Impeccable! And then there was the hummus topped with ground beef and lamb, as well as that delicious side of spiced rice that came with our kebab - swoon! We will have to repeat that.

Speaking of: we discovered that many of the other guests seemed to be Israeli and are obviously regulars at Feinberg’s - another sign for us that the food is not only good, but authentic too!